New Voices: The Civic Technology and Open Government Opportunity
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The document outlines the evolution of online civic engagement, highlighting the role of platforms like e-democracy and the importance of digital tools in enhancing community participation and democracy since 1994. It includes statistical insights from Pew Research about internet usage across demographics, civic technology innovations, and various engagement projects aimed at fostering local interactions and government transparency. Key challenges are discussed, including the digital participation gap among minority and lower-income groups and the need for inclusive strategies in civic technology development.
New Voices: The Civic Technology and Open Government Opportunity
- 6. 3rd most individually net connected state today Early pioneer in computing, wiped out by PCs Invented in indoor shopping mall in 1956 Post-It notes invented by 3M (MN Mining and Manufacturing) Net helped former pro-wrestler become Gov in 98
- 7. 20 years of experience “interacting’ online within and “around” government, 30 countries World’s first election info website – E-Democracy
- 8. E-Democracy.org's mission: Harness the power of online tools to support participation in public life, strengthen communities, and build democracy. Creating online spaces for civic engagement since 1994.
- 10. PewInternet.org 2012 Numbers: 81% Overall Online - For United States ▪ 84% White, 73% Black, 74% Latino, <30K still at 67% Least connected ▪ No High School Diploma - 51% ▪ Over 65 - 54% Where? ▪ At Home - 65% Broadband, 4% Dial-up ▪ 12% Other - Work/School/Library/Mobile-only(?)
- 11. 72% of Adult Internet Users – United States 2013 (up from 67% in 2012) ▪ 74% Women, 70% Men (up from 63%) ▪ Facebook on slight decline among younger users 18% use Twitter (up from 16% in 2012) ▪ News and politics types, teen use outside eyes of parents using aliases ▪ May 2013: http://pewinternet.org/Reports/2013/socialnetworking-sites.aspx
- 12. 88% use Email overall - 58% Typical day 67% use SNS - 67% visit local/st/fed gov web - 13% Typ day Lessons: 48% day , 8% Twitter ▪ Map out where to reach people and DON’T replace email newsletter with Facebook or Twitter (they are supplements) ▪ Reach people where they are online ▪ IMHO: Don’t drop print communication if you can afford to keep
- 13. Those who already show up offline, showing up online. Lots of people talk politics offline, but more polarized online Participation gap even worse with fewer lower income, minorities doing “civic communication” or taking action online Clift analysis and links to Pew’s 2013 “Civic Engagement in the Digital Age Report”: http://bit.ly/pewcivic
- 14. PewInternet.org 2012 Numbers: 81% Overall Online - For United States ▪ 84% White, 73% Black, 74% Latino, <30K still at 67% Least connected ▪ No High School Diploma - 51% ▪ Over 65 - 54% Where? ▪ At Home - 65% Broadband, 4% Dial-up ▪ 12% Other - Work/School/Library/Mobile-only(?)
- 15. Q15: % Men Vs. Women Saying They Discuss Politics ONLINE: Q14: % Men Vs. Women Saying They Discuss Politics: 0 20 40 60 80 100 0 17.3 60 Every day 15.6 5.7 31 At least once a week 13.2 At least once a week 25 13.4 17.7 12.2 At least once a month 19.1 Less than once a month 40 5.6 Every day At least once a month 20 12 13.5 12.9 Less than once a month 15.3 12.1 56.1 19.4 Never Never 56.5 24.5 Male Female Male Female 80 100
- 16. Q14: How Often Do You Discuss Politics, By Ideology 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100 31.7 16.2 12.9 17.2 Every day 26.2 30.6 29.8 28.8 29.4 30.3 At least once a week 13.3 20.1 19.9 18.6 15.6 At least once a month 10.6 14.9 14.5 16.4 Less than once a month 5.7 13.3 Never 18.3 23.8 17.5 21.3 Very conservative Conservative Moderate Liberal Very liberal Source 2013: http://bit.ly/pewcivicreport
- 17. Q15: How Often Do You Discuss Politics ONLINE, By Ideology 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100 14.6 Every day 5.2 3.7 3.4 17.4 18.5 15.1 At least once a week 11.1 13.9 19.3 6 At least once a month Less than once a month 14.4 11.3 14.6 15.6 10.6 11.6 13.1 16.1 11 50.3 53.5 Never 60.8 51.7 36.7 Very conservative Conservative Moderate Liberal Very liberal Source 2013: http://bit.ly/pewcivicreport
- 18. 2013 Pew Civic Engagement in Digital Age Report – Analysis: bitly.com/pewcivic More equity in discussing politics via social networking Not so with taking action, contacting elected officials, media IMHO: Neighborhoods are “public life” gateway to action
- 20. 27% of adult Net users (22% overall) use “digital tools to talk to their neighbors and keep informed about community issues.” 74% of those who talk digitally with their neighbors have talked face-to-face about community issues with their neighbors compared to 46% overall Source: Neighbors Online study from PewInternet.org, 2010
- 21. Neighborhood E-Lists/Forums – 7% Overall Of 22% of ALL adults who “talk digitally with neighbors”: Only 12% under 30K, Over 75K 39% Source: Neighbors Online study from PewInternet.org, 2010
- 22. April 2010 report further reports: 21% who feel government posting on Facebook, Twitter very important: 17% Whites 31% African-American 33% Hispanic 18% College Educated 30% W/O High School Degree
- 23. ASKED TO TAKE ACTION - work for a candidate, give money to a cause, go to a meeting, or get in touch with a public official. Source 2013: http://bit.ly/pewcivicreport Q17a. Email Overall Net User Yes - 36% - White 41%, Black 31%, Latino 19%, LTHS 18%, HS GD 25%, SmCol 38%, ColGd 51% Households 75K highest at 53% Q17b. Telephone Overall All Adults Yes - 38% - White 40%, Black 32%, Latino 18%, LTHS 18%, HS GD 32%, SmCol 37%, ColGd 45% Households 75K highest at 53% Q17c. Letter Overall All Adults Yes - 43% - White 49%, Black 39%, Latino 20%, LTHS 21%, HS GD 38%, SmCol 45%, ColGd 57% Households 75K highest at 58%
- 25. This presentation contains a collection of statistics from various studies produced by the Pew Internet and American Life Project. The key study is here. Also, other than blue and white graph on slide 17, the graphs contained were produced using Pew data. With the help of volunteers, I am seeking to present this data in additional ways. Further notes and analysis (a mix of raw materials) My “inclusion” analysis/summary DC, San Francisco event notes and links Help visualizing data, raw Google doc New Voices – Proposed online working group
- 27. Local Open Government and Civic Tech “Ecology” for Innovation National Open Gov Civil Soc Leaders Emerge 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. Open Government Principles - 500 Orgs+ Open Data: Transparency easier than Engagement Need for inclusive field testing, New Voices Resources - Now and Next report, MetroGIS on open data, GovLab, GrantCraft, ParticipateDB, DoWire/@democracy Who has already answered your question? Where can you find them? List of online groups
- 28. National networks promoting “local up” civic groups connecting local software developers, designers, open data advocates AND gov and NGO staff building needed innovation ecosystem
- 29. Local Open Government Principles http://bit.ly/localopengovprinciples Open Government Declaration - OGP http://bit.ly/opengovdeclare 10 Open Data Principles - Sunlight Foundation http://bit.ly/10opendataprinciples Global Open Data Initiative Declaration Citizens http://bit.ly/globalopendata
- 31. Civic Technology Investments - $430 million tracked by Knight Foundation Dynamic discussion of CfA Brigade e-list. ▪ What will commercial models support? ▪ What unsustainable venture investments will undermine needed non-profit, government, or voluntary activity? Civic Technology, Inclusion, and Justice CityCampMN blog post sparks intensive dialogue on CfA Bridage e-list ▪ E-Democracy proposing New Voices civic tech collaboration
- 34. Base Goal: 10% of Households, Reaching ~30% or more in strongest areas of S. Minneapolis.
- 35. Someone needed help. The Wheel of Cheese Read more – on Powderhorn Neighbors Forum – Photo CC jojomelons via Flickr
- 36. Standish and Ericsson Neighborhood, Minneapolis About 10,000 residents - Small homes, big hearts Shared online “Neighbors Forum” for 5 years 1200 members, ~30% households “All politics is local.” – Tip O’Neill, former US House Speaker
- 37. Imagine a shared email box for your neighborhood: [email protected] Like a Facebook Page too …
- 38. “Local” online public places to: share information, events, ideas discuss local community issues gather diverse people in an open place take action and promote solutions Powered by two-way group communication Over 50 neighbors/community forums in 18 communities across 3 countries today
- 39. Neighbor #1 City Hall Your Networks N E I G H B O R S Join the Forum In-person Conversations Neighbors Forum Online Local Media Coverage Local Biz Shared on Facebook
- 42. Crime Prevention Disaster Preparedness and Community Recovery Emergency Preparedness and Response Neighborly Mutual Benefit and Support Health Care and Long-term Care Energy Efficiency Environmental Sustainability Senior Care and Intergenerational Connections Small Business Promotion Transportation Local Food Diverse Community Cohesion Education and Community Service Recent Immigrant and Refugee Integration and Support Sustainable Broadband Adoption Rural Community Building Youth Employment and Experience Community Building, Civic Engagement, and Social Capital Details on the E-Democracy Blog
- 45. 1. Horizontal (Stories = Demand) What local people are doing with many to many social media, etc. 2. Vertical (Projects/Apps) Opportunities to specialize, enhance, or scale more niche activity
- 46. Key Questions What is the demand? ▪ What people say they want vs. do? ▪ What government (or other entity) wants to do vs. can do well? ▪ What will people do on their own? ▪ What can government/civil society proactively encourage in the market? “Neighbors online” provides a REAL demand function and dose of reality
- 48. 1. Helping 6. Influencing 2. Sharing 7. Engaging 3. Questions 8. Deliberation and Decisions 4. Informing and Outreach 9. Funding and Spending 5. Safety and Recovery 10. Starting and Solving
- 50. Stories (primarily from my neighborhood) Community-event for local chef fighting cancer Replacing 7 yr olds birthday presents after burglary Emerging Projects – “Neighbors Online” Besides E-Democracy, StreetLife (UK), MA Residence (Fr), BuurtBuzz (NL), NextDoor (US) Challenges and Opportunities Unleashing hidden community capacity Generating “new” capacity beyond existing social capital?
- 52. Stories Free stuff, yogurt containers, borrow stuff Community announcements galore Emerging Projects FreeCycle, Freegle, Craigslist, NeighborGoods (sharing tools), car sharing, couch surfing Challenges and Opportunities Reducing waste stream, less about “democracy” Hugely popular - “local democratic engagement”
- 54. Stories Neighborhood clubs? R: Library book clubs+ Arrggh, my car was towed during snow emergency, what can I do to fight it? Business recommendations galore Emerging Projects Open 311, Yelp! (health inspect), FixMyStreet, StackExch Challenges and Opportunities Feeding public questions into e-gov self-help?
- 56. Stories City councilor shares updates – road work, light rail stop lights, meetings – TIMELY info Gov e-news/alerts, FB pages, Twitter channels Emerging Projects Many tools – Granicus: Webcasting, GovDelivery: Email Updates, Local Calendars (Elmcity, Gcal) Challenges and Opportunities Timely personalized notification – very powerful Gov hosted vs. gov used, “Representative Deficit”
- 57. Source: Jeffery Levy, EPA
- 59. Stories Crime prevention – Neighbors alert each other burglary wave, I report murder, police info shared Hurricane Sandy local Facebook Groups thrive Emerging Projects Police FB pages quite popular, Seattle model Recovers.org, crisis mapping volunteers, more Challenges and Opportunities Fear factor used as motivator by .com sites Emergency response/police “command and control”
- 60. Official: Broadcast – FEMA.Gov, etc. Community: Many to many “Like” a Facebook Page to express support “Share” photos, news, Tweets “Gather” data and put on a map, etc. “Join” an Online Group to get involved ▪ http://bit.ly/sandygroups “Volunteer” via OccupySandy, etc. “Needs and Offers” via Recovers.org, etc.
- 62. Stories Airport noise, ski trails e-petition promotion Elected official view: “They are my voters.” – Key! Emerging Projects PeakDemocracy: Online Townhall, Spreading Issy France e-Citizen Survey? Learn from PIN Key is online prompting local media coverage Challenges and Opportunities “Digital Squeakers” vs. broad public e-citizens w/skills and access
- 64. Stories Neighborhood council sparks business ideas Gov directly engaged, two-way – Light rail signals Emerging Projects AskBristol (UK), econsult advice from BangtheTable (Australia), IdeaScale/User Voice/MindMixer: Ideation, Gov and .com petition sites, Google Civic Info API Challenges and Opportunities Interactive elections to governance, Digital Native e-offi Democratic info not in data set, Meetings, Who reps?
- 66. Stories St. Paul Payne-Phalen deep dialogue about violence UK local gov Knowledge Hub (peer exchange) Emerging Projects Estonia TID, Finland e-petitions to parliament Strong interest in NCDD, IAP2, Kettering Fnd, etc. Challenges and Opportunities Beyond Estonia and Finland which govs have platforms? Many projects fail to appreciate incremental approaches, outreach needs to engage broad spectrum of voices
- 68. Stories Ski trail grooming effort wins $1K “Big Idea” vote Forever St. Paul, $1 million challenge does forum outreach Emerging Projects From budget online to actual spending - Louisville Participatory budgeting, e-assisted – crowd “spending” with teeth – Brazil, US, Tartu Challenges and Opportunities Many commercial platforms – charity and/or gov “Taxes - the ultimate crowd spending opportunity”
- 70. Stories Starting a new community garden – Citizen action Emerging Projects Loomio from NZ, tools for “shared purpose” decision-making Mixing real-time tools from virt meetings to docs Future community solution forums @ E-Dem? Challenges and Opportunities “Ad-hocracy” opportunities Neighborhood associations, gov task forces?
- 75. Public (vs. private groups) Open access (vs. invite only) Publicly searchable archive Local scope Encourage strong civility Must use real names, accountability (vs. member only access)
- 76. Neighbor #1 City Hall Your Networks N E I G H B O R S Join the Forum In-person Conversations Neighbors Forum Online Local Media Coverage Local Biz Shared on Facebook
- 77. 46% People of Color 17% Foreign Born Lower income areas, renters, etc.
- 78. Seward is 55% white, 33% black (mostly East African) Pop 7,308 Cedar Riv is 45% black (EA), 37% white, 11% Asian Pop 8,094
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- 84. More pictures in our slide show. 84
- 85. 266% increase in St. Paul (blue) memberships in 2012 Mpls (red) all volunteer “organic” word of mouth growth
- 86. Build volunteer capacity “Forum engagement” - goal: Forums that better reflect the diversity of neighbors in the “virtual room.” Share lessons across many communities in 2014: http://e-democracy.org/learn Launch “New Voices” campaign for civic tech and open gov movement: http://e-democracy.org/nv 86
- 87. Public outreach http://beneighbors.org Webinars, training: http://e-democracy.org/learn http://e-democracy.org/practice
- 89. Ask yourself does this make MY life as a citizen better? 1. Qualify with “Is it special to people most like me or is this to the benefit of all?” 2. New Voices – Must be intentional, exploring new initiative to move the field and reach mass participation http://e-democracy.org/newvoices
- 91. E-Democracy.org Blog.e-democracy.org - dowire.org @edemo e-democracy.org/contact Steven Clift [email protected] StevenClift.com @democracy 91
- 95. Reaching people “where they are” via third party social media tools versus websites you ”own”
- 96. http://e-democracy.org/sunshine 20+ Government 2.0 Reports Earn Five “Suns,” 25 Draft Indicators Drafting guide for national League of Women Voters Representation Decision-Making Information Engagement Online Features
- 97. Using Technology to Build Community In-Depth Webinar, Podcast: http://e-democracy.org/webinars CityCamp – Local Gov 2.0 meet Citizens 2.0 http://citycamp.com http://e-democracy.org/citycamp - Forum
- 99. Over 50% of paper sign-up form survey responses were from people of color Surname analysis shows 30%+ of targeted forums appear to be from racial/ethnic communities (Asian, Latino, East African) Demographic participant survey planned
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- 101. Initial utilization of volunteers Partnerships need to grow beyond links Forum engagement staffing delayed to ‘13 Light guidance for contractors, more hands on needed Logistics of hand processing 3,000 paper sign-ups
- 102. 1. Online spaces for neighbors to connect with each other in the ways that they want 2. Spaces as representative as possible of the neighborhoods, 10%+ of households 3. More people having a voice, who often do not have a voice in their neighborhood 4. Engagement that builds trust, bridges, and social capital
- 104. 1. Research and set goals 2. Intensive recruitment and training 3. Utilized open access tools to manage logistics increasing mobility and capacity of team (GDocs, Dropbox, etc.) 4. Major on the ground outreach! 5. Remembering to think long term about empowerment and voice 104
- 105. Cherish this access People at least scan subjects Open rates ~20%, click through 5%, some higher
- 106. For every 1,000 email subscribers they have: 149 Facebook Likers 53 Twitter Followers
- 107. Easy Sharing Seek "Likes“ 2-3+ posts wk (include image, different style than Twitter “Insights” stats
- 108. Streaming torrents. Chatty folks. EdgeRank – FB decides per post, tips to get over 5% reach, $ option Go to places where residents are online/on FB Consider posting using your name over “brand” to make more personal at times
- 109. Photos from Jeff Wheeler, Star Tribune.
- 111. Disseminating information Getting people involved with your organization and activities Connect neighbors to each other online to strengthen community Doing all of this inclusively across race, income, age, education levels
- 112. Pick a service provider ▪ MailChimp, Contstant Contact, thedatabank (MN) ▪ Simple BCC: option to start Paper Sign-up Sheet – Create goals ▪ Meetings, Farmers Markets, Libraries, NNO, Door to Door Resources ▪ http://mailchimp.com/resources ▪ http://www.e-benchmarksstudy.com
- 113. Add Email news subscribe to Facebook Page How do you link multiple channels? (4 Geeks) WordPress.com (or .org) Blog Add Subscribe to Blog email option or Feedburner Use FB App RSS Graffiti to feed posts to FB Page Use TwitterFeed to feed Blog post titles to Twitter Problem: Not customizing approach to each service BUT at least you are reaching people
- 114. Facebook Groups are different – two-way destination based on interest or identity Some neighborhood associations have Groups not Pages Classic “online groups” via YahooGroups, EDemocracy Neighbors Forums Private (0ften) exclusive to resident models – NextDoor, i-Neighbors, Front Porch Forum
- 116. Shift frame to open community exchange among neighbors Breaking out of org/gov in center mode Hosted by: Individuals using whatever tool they like (e.g. Facebook Groups, YahooGroups, etc.) Non-profits like E-Democracy.org Commercial sites like NextDoor, Front Porch Forum
- 117. Name, org, with ... 1. How does your organization effectively engage the community? Do online tools help you with this? If so, what? 2. What are the top two needs you want online engagement to address? Take notes to report back common themes on #1 and 2
- 118. 3. How do you or might you connect with multicultural or lower income parts of your community in general? Online? 4. Are their specific new or niche audiences you seek to connect with online? Report back common themes on 3 and 4
- 119. Community Exchange Seeking plumber, insurance, lawn care Free couch, desk, cat, TV Events – 4th July, NUSA picnic to nearest neighborhoods Meal swaps, cooperative cooking TV/Cable/Net options Home hazardous waste Job for Somali speaker Lost puppy Community Issues Crosswalk Safety Street Cars on East Lake Community thanks Airport noise Candidate hello Bridge replacement One Minneapolis One Read Bicycle safety Youth movement
- 121. NewMinnesotans.com – Julia Opoti
- 122. Connecting neighbors and communities … CC: and BCC: Email Lists (YahooGroups), rare Web Forums Social Networking Groups (Facebook) Placeblogs LocalWiki Twitter local hashtags like #nempls Specialty .com sites like Front Porch Forum, NextDoor.com, EveryBlock (RIP), NeighborGoods.net, OhSoWe (RIP) E-Democracy’s BeNeighbors.org effort
- 123. So Cal’s Alhambra Source Action research tied to USC’s Metamorph.org and MetaConnects.org
- 124. We Grew Up in San Francisco Chinatown (1232, Open) San Francisco Chinatown Just for Fun 2 (1522, Private)
- 125. Hurricane Sandy – Facebook Groups Galore More local groups with leadership have sustained activity Lesson: Have a local online group before you really need it ▪ http://bitly.com/sandygroups - Guide linked here too ▪ Examples: ▪ Rockaways, Staten Island Strong, Union Beach NJ, Black Rock CT
- 126. “Community life” exchange builds audience for inclusive civic discussions “Little Mekong” branding for Asian business promotion on University Ave Triple homicide - Who can we trust to keep us safe after a tragedy in East African grocery? Police? More guns? Led to off-line discussions with local teens. Vigil proposed, hundreds gather. Also: Cats indoors or outdoors?, Airplane noise, etc.
- 127. Face-to-face outreach, paper signup sheets, and a personal approach most successful Building trust is essential. Knowing that “someone like me” is on the forum helps Personal invitations and direct support help people get started with posting. 127
- 128. Work with community event organizers to bring forum members out “IRL” to their community events, sign up new people too Understand people’s interests and needs, then find ways to address them through the forum to encourage sustained participation Ford Foundation funded, 2010-2011
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- 131. Digital inclusion for community engagement leverages other key efforts Engagement Digital Literacy Online and Computer Skills Technology and Broadband Access
- 133. Social connections, family-friendly Safety and crime prevention Mutual benefit , sharing stuff Greater voices and civic engagement Social capital generator Openness, inclusion, diverse community connections (if done right) = Stronger communities, stronger democracy Resources: Block Activities, Block Connectors, Locals Online, Soul of the Community
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- 135. Via the web: e-democracy.org Or beneighbors.org ▪ Directory starting in Twin Cities ▪ Join via Facebook Option Available
- 136. Via simple paper sign-up sheets Sign up at local events, by neighbors, or when doorknocked.
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- 142. ~3,000 memberships in-person in 2012, 800 online 129 Tracked Summer Outreach Events: 917 via door-knocking in 20 targeted areas 692 via 39 different community events 340 via 28 community locations (libraries, etc.) 182 via 10 National Night Out sites 89 via 4 ethnic soccer matches 76 via 12 community members After ~12% error rate in e-mail addresses, opt-outs
- 143. Neighborhood E-Lists/Forums – 7% Overall Our view/experience – newer Net-using immigrants similar to Latino inclusion rate Source: Neighbors Online study from PewInternet.org, 2010
- 144. April 2010 report brings fresh data: 82% of internet users (representing 61% of all American adults) looked for information or completed a transaction on a government website in the 12 months preceding this survey: 48% of internet users have looked for information about a public policy or issue online with their local, state or federal government 46% have looked up what services a government agency provides 31% use online platforms such as blogs, social networking sites, email, online video or text messaging to get government information 23% participate in the online debate around government policies or issues Agree or disagree on impact of social media in government